Comprehensive pressure: why did Washington declare the risk of sanctions against India for the purchase of S-400

India does not have “full immunity” to the CAATSA Act Against America's Adversaries Through Sanctions. This was stated by an official representative of the US Department of State during a briefing, answering a question regarding the acquisition of New Delhi Russian anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) S-400 Triumph.

“There have been reports, mainly not from the USA, about complete immunity (of India to the law“ On countering America’s opponents through sanctions. ” - RT ) There is no such. Neither the US Congress nor the administration has definitely developed or planned such a decision, ”the statement of the State Department spokesman, published on the website of the foreign ministry, said.

It is clarified that the universal application of sanctions for the purchase of S-400 under the CAATSA law does not exist.

“There can be no unconditional immunity to the law“ On counteracting America’s adversaries through sanctions, ”however, it also does not apply indiscriminately. I mean, in each case, an analysis of the need for sanctions is necessary. Sanctions can vary in terms of rigidity and whether they are imposed on companies or individuals, ”the State Department said.

The department also noted that "the Indian authorities know" about possible restrictions from the United States.

“They also know that we want to cooperate in order to provide them with the best military support without the threat of being sanctioned,” the representative of the State Department said.

According to him, in the case of India, before deciding on sanctions, one should take into account how much the acquisition of S-400 by the Indian side will affect new types of American weapons.

“The problem that we face in such cases as India is a new purchase of potentially dangerous systems that either jeopardize our platforms or create a threat that our technologies will be in the hands of the adversary,” the Foreign Ministry said, emphasizing that “a perfect example” of this is Turkey.

“The S-400 threatens the F-35. S-400s can also be dangerous for other platforms, ”the statement said.

• US Department of Defense
• Flickr
• © thejointstaff

Earlier, on November 20, 2019, the general director of Rosoboronexport, Alexander Mikheev, announced that the first S-400 regiment would be delivered to India in September 2021.

“The first payment by the Indian side under the contract for the supply of S-400 systems has been received. In what currency are payments going, I will not specify. But this is a very positive moment for intensifying the planned work on the production of the first elements of the system, ”he said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Recall that in October 2018 Moscow and New Delhi signed a contract for the supply of five regimental S-400 sets worth more than $ 5 billion. Later, Mikheev said that their delivery to the Indian side would be completed in 2025. India announced its intention to acquire Russian air defense systems in 2015.

US opposition

It is worth noting that Washington has repeatedly expressed its dissatisfaction with the deal between Moscow and New Delhi.

So, at the end of June 2019, the US State Department announced that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo intends to recommend India to think about alternatives to buying Russian air defense systems.

“As for the S-400, we called on our allies and partners, including India, to abandon transactions with Russia that could entail the imposition of sanctions in accordance with the CAATSA law,” an official representative of the defense department said at a special briefing.

In July 2019, during a security conference organized by the Aspen Institute research center, Admiral Philip Davidson, head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, stated that India’s supply of S-400 is a certain kind of problem for the US side. At the same time, according to him, Washington is unable to come to a consensus with the republic on this issue.

"We continue to conduct dialogue (with the Indian side. - RT ), trying to convey to it important tactical and technical considerations that such weapons should have compatibility, which cannot be (too. - RT ) a lot," said Davidson.

At the same time, the admiral lamented the fact that India had not taken note of Washington’s argument and did not believe that American weapons were superior to Russian and did not take into account the fact that the S-400 allegedly could not be organically integrated into the Indian armed forces system.

“India is proud of the status of the country following the course of non-alignment with anyone’s politics, and it considers the discussion about the S-400 as a political issue, not a tactical one,” said Davidson, stressing that before understanding with New Delhi, Washington needs to “go through a journey of ten thousand steps. "

However, in October, Indian Foreign Minister Subramaniam Jayshancar stated that the United States has no right to tell the republic whether it can buy weapons from Russia or not. So he answered the question regarding the acquisition of the S-400 from the Russian side during a visit to Washington.

• New Delhi
• Reuters
• © Vijay Mathur

“We would not want any state to dictate to us what to buy or not to buy from Russia, as well as to dictate to us what to buy or not to buy from the USA,” the Indian television channel NDTV quoted the minister as saying.

Jaishankar also emphasized that the issues of procurement of military equipment, as well as the selection of its suppliers, are the “sovereign right” of India.

“All claims are far-fetched”

In making a new statement on possible sanctions against New Delhi for the purchase of S-400, the US State Department “wants to put more pressure on India,” said Vasily Kashin, senior fellow at the HSE Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies. According to him, "in the near future this kind of pressure will only intensify."

“The United States will constantly broadcast in all directions that it is undesirable to maintain relations with Russia. But at the same time, they now emphasize that they have the opportunity in each individual case to make decisions individually - they will beat someone harder, someone weaker. In addition, Washington thus seeks to create a negative background for Russia's military-technical cooperation with other countries, ”the expert said in a conversation with RT.

The analyst emphasizes that in reality there is no reason for Washington to talk about the "insoluble compatibility problems" of the S-400 and the armaments in the service of the Indian Armed Forces.

“All claims on the American side are far-fetched and related to the desire to oust Russia from the arms market. Parts of the equipment of these Russian complexes are always tailored to the needs of each specific customer. The air defense systems, which are delivered to different countries, have differences among themselves and are related to the specific requirements of customers, which may have a different attitude to the issue of integrating the management system, ”said Kashin.

However, Washington, despite its repeated attempts, will not be able to disrupt the supply of S-400 to India, the expert is sure.

“There is a peculiarity in the Indian political system: if any decision has already been made, it must be implemented - changing it is quite difficult. Washington will no longer be able to somehow influence this, ”the analyst explained.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after negotiations in New Delhi, October 5, 2018
• © Mikhail Klimentyev / RIA News

At the same time, Andrei Sidorov, head of the department of international organizations and world political processes at the Moscow State University’s faculty of world politics, emphasized in conversation with RT that for this the American side simply has no leverage.

“Even if Washington takes any sanctions against New Delhi, this is not critical for the republic. She can afford to lose part of the American market. But New Delhi will not refuse military-technical cooperation with Russia, since these are long-established established relations that are not so easy to break. To service Russian systems, the republic already has specialists trained by Russia, and for American systems it will still be necessary to train such workers, ”the expert summed up.